Dorothea Townsend (112)

Date of Birth: Unknown
Date of Death: post 1688. Ante 1693
Generation: 2nd
Residence: Rincolisky, Co Cork
Father: Colonel Richard Townsend [100]
Mother: Hyde, Hildegardis
Spouse:
  1. Coppinger, Dominic
Issue:
  1. James
  2. Mary
See Also: Table I ; Scrapbook ; Lineage ; Ancestors' Tree ; Descendents' Tree

Notes for Dorothea Townsend

Dominic Copinger (1) (2) of Rincolisky (later Whitehall), Co Cork and grandson of Sir Walter Copinger Kt of Cloghan, Copinger Court,(3) Rosscarbery and Glandore. See ‘A Guide to Irish Houses’ by M. Bence-Jones, London, 1988 – "ROSSCARBERY cor Copinger's Court. Copinger 1640+. Built by Sir Walter Copinger. Now a ruin."

Dominic's will is dated 5 May 1688 and was proved 6 October 1693 (4). the first 'Item' in his will reads "I will, ordaine, and appoint that my father, Walter Copinger, may and shall be gardian and sole overseer of my sonne and heire, James Copinger, for and dureing his minority". The only mention of Dorothea in the will is contained in the 'Item' which reads "I leave and bequeat unto the Doctor my gray mare at Aleyane, besides the consideration he is to have which I desire and apoint my wife to pay him." However William Copinger of The Priory, Manchester wrote a letter (5) dated 26 September 1890 to Dorothea Townshend [5D15], in which he stated "I think that Dorothea died in Dominic's lifetime, as he left his property to his relatives without naming his wife in his will".

In an appendage to his will Dominic asked that his father recover "demands due unto me from Francis Townesend". It is not clear what these debts consisted of but they are associated with a petition submitted to the Chichester House Commissioners by Edward Dodsworth in 1700. It all becomes rather confusing!

Of Dorothea’s children, Walter and Mary are not known to have been married. James however married three times.

Firstly to Anne Beamish in 1697 and had a daughter, Anne, who married Francis Daunt of Aghadown on 19 Jul 1717.

Secondly in 1699 to Sarah Bayly and had no children by her. Third to Anne Youd on 25 Jun 1718 and had four children - 1. Elizabeth bap Aug 1719, 2. Joanna bap Aug 1721, 3. John bap Sep 1732 who married in1756 in Kerry Mary McEgan and died St Colomb Minor, Cornwall, in Jun 1792 having had 3 sons and 9 daughters.

* Thirdly, Thomas who was born in Cork and died in Lisbon, Portugal, having had a son, Jacques. The Copinger family survives today (2019).

Dorothea's son, James Copinger, forfeited the lands that he had inherited at Rincolisky (Whitehall) and others (6) in 1690 because he was a Roman Catholic and supported James II. The Rincolisky estate was later acquired by Samuel Townsend [400].

(1) The Copingers were an old, well established Roman Catholic family but Dorothea's father was on such good terms with them that he was happy his daughter marry into the family. The entry for Copinger in the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway Connacht and Munster Landed Estates Database records "The Copinger family had held significant estates in West Carbery until after the Williamite wars when Walter Copinger was attainted for high treason and deprived of much of his property. His son James was also deprived of property but Kingston asserts that he may have been able to lease some of this back at a later date. The family were never to have the same influence again in the area though they did continue as owners of smaller properties. Several members of the family are recorded as tenants in perpetuity of estates between 300 and 500 acres in the 1870s."

(2). Dominic’s father, Walter Copinger was the subject of an Inquisition in 1694, “Walter Copinger of Ringcoolisky, in the county of Cork, born at the Kings Old Castle near the city of Cork, in the county of Cork, was on the 11th day of June, attained and outlawed for high treason done and committed by him at Mallow, on the 1st day of May and that Walter Copinger at the time of the commission of the treason and at the time of the attainder was seised in his own right as of fee both of and in townships, lands, and tenements….”. Namely the township and lands of Ringcoolisky of 122 acres, Lissecleary of 252 acres, the township and lands of Hare Island, the lands of Carbuolin of 320 acres, the townships and lands of Gortnahorna, Lissapooka, Garrandring, Killnamanlie, Maulskinagham, East Inishkeame, Lisheeneieghtra and South Marahine……………And the said jurors further say that the said Dominic Copinger before the acquisition of the said Walter demised the townships and lands of Gortanorna and Garrandring aforesaid to a certain Bryan Townsend (a) for the term of 31 years from the 1st day of May, A.D. 1683, at the annual rent of £80 sterling, without prejudice always to James Copinger, a minor, son and heir of Dominic Copinger, late of Cloghane, Esqre, deceased, by certain written deeds which the aforesaid Walter Copinger, father of Dominic, executed upon the marriage of the said Dominic and Dorothea Townsend (b), daughter of Richard Townsend (c), esqre, deceased, granting an annuity of £60 sterling to the aforesaid Dominic and Dorothea during their natural lives and to the survivor of them, and to the heirs of their body, and also granting the reversion of the lands aforesaid after the death of Walter himself to the said Dominic and the heirs of the body of the said Dominic in perpetuity.” (a) Bryan Townsend [200]. (b) Dorothea [112]. (c)Richard Townsend [100]

(3) The entry for Copinger's Court in the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway Connacht and Munster Landed Estates Database records "Built by Sir Walter Copinger in the early seventeenth century and partially destroyed in the 1641 Rebellion. Described by Bence-Jones as an impressive semi-fortified house. By the mid nineteenth century it had fallen into ruin and is not mentioned in Griffith's Valuation, when the lessor of the surrounding land was Lady Carbery's estate.”

(4)'An Officer of the Long Parliament' p. 214 and 'Pooles of Mayfield' p. 237 refer. Administration of the will was granted to Bryan Townsend [200] who was a principal creditor.

(5) RBT Papers.

(6) These included St Kames Island. It is generally thought that the Skeam Islands in Roaring Water Bay got their name from St Ceim, supposedly a brother of Ciaran of Cape Clear, though no such person appears in the ‘Calendar of Irish Saints’. The islands were assessed in 1614 as ¾ of a ploughland and were granted to Sir Walter Copinger. In the ‘Book of Survey and Distribution’ of 1641 they are shown as East and West Eniscame but are shown as Iniskeam in the Copinger Inquisition of 1694 when they were forfeited by James Copinger, the son of Dorothea, and later acquired by Samuel Townsend [400].